PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 Basics of Research and Statistics Frequency Distributions Percentiles and Graphical Representations

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Capella University

PSYC FPX 4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

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Date

PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 Basics of Research and Statistics Frequency Distributions Percentiles and Graphical Representations

PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 introduces fundamental research and statistical concepts used to collect, organize, analyze, and interpret psychological data. The assessment covers independent and dependent variables, populations and samples, grouped and ungrouped data, descriptive and inferential statistics, frequency distributions, percentages, percentiles, and graphical representations. It also provides practice using JASP to create frequency tables and graphs. Understanding these concepts helps students interpret research findings accurately and communicate statistical information clearly.

For this assessment, complete the assigned problems in the provided Word document. Show your calculations whenever a question requires mathematical work, and make sure each final response is easy to identify. Unless the instructions specifically request additional materials, submit only the completed Word document.

Problem Set 1.1: Identifying Independent and Dependent Variables

Researchers use variables to examine relationships between factors and outcomes. An independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or used to explain or predict changes in another variable. A dependent variable is the outcome that researchers measure.

A quasi-independent variable is a naturally occurring characteristic or preexisting group difference that researchers cannot directly manipulate or randomly assign. Examples may include political affiliation, cultural background, or previous experience.

For each scenario, identify the independent variable, quasi-independent variable when applicable, and dependent variable.

Scenario 1: Cocaine Use and Impulsive Behavior

A researcher investigates whether cocaine use increases impulsive behavior by comparing cocaine-dependent mice with mice that have never been exposed to cocaine.

Independent Variable: Cocaine exposure or cocaine use

Quasi-Independent Variable: None

Dependent Variable: Impulsive behavior

Scenario 2: Test Format and Student Performance

A professor examines whether students perform differently when completing a multiple-choice test compared with a fill-in-the-blank test.

Independent Variable: Test format

Quasi-Independent Variable: None

Dependent Variable: Student performance or test score

Scenario 3: Parental Smoking and Children’s Attitudes

A researcher examines whether parents’ smoking behavior influences their children’s attitudes toward smoking.

Independent Variable: Parental smoking behavior

Quasi-Independent Variable: None

Dependent Variable: Children’s attitudes toward smoking

Scenario 4: Political Affiliation and Moral Attitudes

A social scientist investigates whether attitudes toward morality differ according to political affiliation, such as Democrat or Republican.

Independent Variable: None

Quasi-Independent Variable: Political affiliation

Dependent Variable: Moral attitudes

Scenario 5: Culture and Beliefs About Dreams

A cultural researcher examines whether people from different cultural backgrounds differ in their beliefs about whether dreams have meaning.

Independent Variable: None

Quasi-Independent Variable: Cultural background

Dependent Variable: Beliefs about the meaning of dreams

Problem Set 1.2: Understanding Samples and Populations

A population is the complete group a researcher wants to understand. A sample is a smaller group selected from that population. Researchers generally study samples because collecting information from every member of a population may be impractical, expensive, or impossible.

Height and Educational Attainment

Szklarska et al. (2007) examined whether height was associated with educational attainment among young Polish men. The researchers recruited 91,373 nineteen-year-old men for the study.

The 91,373 participants represent a sample, rather than the entire population. They were selected to provide information about a broader population of young men. Even though the sample is very large, it does not automatically represent every individual in the population.

Response: The 91,373 participants most likely represent a sample because they are a subset of the larger population that the researchers are interested in understanding.

Problem Set 1.3: Creating a Dataset for JASP

JASP is statistical software that can be used to organize, analyze, and visualize quantitative data. Data can first be entered into Microsoft Excel and saved as a CSV file before being imported into JASP.

For this activity, five social media users reported the following number of minutes spent viewing Twitter:

15.21, 46.18, 12.45, 65.486, 26.852

The dataset should contain one variable named Minutes.

Preparing the Dataset

Open Microsoft Excel and enter Minutes in cell A1. Enter the five observations in cells A2 through A6. Because the variable represents the amount of time spent viewing Twitter, treat Minutes as a continuous variable.

Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file. Open JASP and select the option to open a file from the computer. Locate the CSV file and import it into JASP.

After importing the file, verify that the Minutes variable and all five observations appear correctly.

Take a screenshot of the dataset displayed in JASP and insert the screenshot into the Word document.

Problem Set 1.4a: Grouped and Ungrouped Data

Grouped data organize observations into categories, intervals, or other meaningful groups. Ungrouped data present individual observations without combining them into categories.

Example	Classification	Reason
The time, measured in seconds, that 100 children take to complete a cognitive skills game	Ungrouped data	Individual completion times are recorded rather than placed into intervals.
The number of single mothers who have 1, 2, 3, or 4 children	Grouped data	Participants are organized into categories according to the number of children.
The number of teenagers who have experimented with smoking, reported as yes or no	Grouped data	Responses are divided into two categories: yes and no.
The ages, in years, of freshman students at a local college	Ungrouped data	Individual ages are reported rather than grouped into age ranges.

Problem Set 1.4b: Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Descriptive statistics organize and summarize information collected from a sample or population. Examples include frequencies, percentages, means, medians, tables, and graphs.

Inferential statistics use sample information to draw conclusions, make estimates, or develop predictions about a broader population.

Gun Ownership in the United States

Gallup polling data reported the following percentages of Americans who said they owned a gun:

Year	Percentage
1972	43%
1982	42%
1992	48%
2002	40%
2012	43%

Question 1: Are these percentages descriptive or inferential statistics?

Answer: These percentages are descriptive statistics because they summarize the responses reported during the specified survey years.

Question 2: How did reported gun ownership change over the 40-year period?

Answer: Reported gun ownership fluctuated over the period rather than following a consistent upward or downward trend. It was 43% in 1972, decreased slightly to 42% in 1982, increased to 48% in 1992, decreased to 40% in 2002, and returned to 43% in 2012.

Problem Set 1.5: Reading and Interpreting a Chart

Charts and tables allow researchers to compare numerical information efficiently. The following participant characteristics provide two measures: Type Count and Token Count.

Profession	Type Count	Token Count
College Professor	24,541	878,261
Clinical Psychologist	23,617	751,188
Unknown	479	927
Total	1,630,376

Question 1: Do college professors or clinical psychologists speak more words overall based on Token Count?

Answer: College professors, with a Token Count of 878,261, compared with 751,188 for clinical psychologists.

Question 2: Do college professors or clinical psychologists use more different words based on Type Count?

Answer: College professors, with a Type Count of 24,541, compared with 23,617 for clinical psychologists.

Problem Set 1.6: Understanding Frequencies and Percentages

A frequency distribution shows how often individual values or categories occur. Depending on the research question, a researcher may use frequency, relative frequency, relative percentage, cumulative frequency, cumulative relative frequency, or cumulative percentage.

Situation 1

The frequency of businesses with at least 20 employees.

Answer: Cumulative frequency, calculated from the top down, because the question asks about businesses meeting or exceeding a specified number of employees.

Situation 2

The frequency of college students with a GPA below 3.0.

Answer: Cumulative frequency, calculated from the bottom up, because the question concerns values below a specified GPA.

Situation 3

The percentage of women who complete 1, 2, 3, or 4 tasks simultaneously.

Answer: Percentage or relative percentage, because the question asks how the responses are distributed across categories.

Situation 4

The proportion of pregnancies delivered in public or private hospitals.

Answer: Relative frequency, because the question asks for the proportion of observations within each category.

Situation 5

The percentage of people with alcohol-use problems who have more than two years of substance abuse.

Answer: Cumulative percentage, calculated from the top down, because the question focuses on individuals exceeding a specified duration.

Problem Set 1.7: Understanding Percentages

Percentages describe how observations are distributed among categories. Researchers can also use a reported percentage and a known sample size to estimate how many participants selected a particular response.

Perceptions of Same-Sex Marriage

A CBS News poll conducted in June 2016 reported the following responses regarding whether same-sex couples should have the legal right to marry:

• 58%: Legal

• 33%: Not legal

• 9%: Unsure or no answer

The national sample included 1,280 adults.

Question 1: What type of distribution is represented by these percentages?

Answer: The percentages represent a relative percentage distribution because they show the proportion of respondents falling into each response category.

Question 2: Approximately how many adults selected “Legal”?

To calculate the number of participants:

58% × 1,280

Convert 58% to a decimal:

0.58 × 1,280 = 742.4

Because a person cannot be represented as a fraction in this context, the result can be rounded to approximately 742 adults.

Answer: Approximately 742 adults said same-sex couples should have the legal right to marry.

Problem Set 1.8: Creating an Ascending Frequency Table in JASP

The clicks.jasp dataset contains the number of clicks recorded per hour for 40 different tweets. JASP can use this dataset to create a frequency table showing how often each value occurs.

To create the frequency table, open the clicks.jasp dataset in JASP. Select Descriptives from the toolbar and move the Clicks variable into the Variables box. Open the Tables section and select Frequency Tables.

JASP will generate a frequency table based on the Clicks variable. Review the table and copy the ascending frequency table into the Word document.

Keep the dataset available because it is also needed for the graphical activities in the next sections.

Problem Set 1.9: Creating a Graphical Representation in JASP

Graphs provide a visual method for understanding the distribution of quantitative data. Using the clicks.jasp dataset, students can create a graph to examine the distribution of clicks recorded for the 40 tweets.

Open the dataset in JASP and select Descriptives. Move Clicks into the Variables box. Under Basic Plots, select the appropriate distribution plot available in the current JASP version.

Review the resulting graph and copy it into the Word document.

When describing the graph, focus on the overall shape of the distribution. Consider whether the values appear relatively balanced, concentrated around certain values, or skewed toward one side.

Response: Describe the overall shape shown by the generated JASP graph.

Problem Set 1.10: Creating a Pie Chart in JASP

A pie chart displays categories as portions of a complete circle. It can be useful for showing how individual categories contribute to the overall distribution.

Using the same clicks.jasp dataset, open Descriptives in JASP and move the Clicks variable into the Variables box. Under Basic Plots, select Pie Charts if the variable and JASP version support this visualization.

Review the generated chart and insert the completed pie chart into the Word document.

Key Concepts to Remember for PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1

The concepts in this assessment provide a foundation for interpreting psychological research and statistical information. The most important distinctions include:

• An independent variable is manipulated or used to explain or predict an outcome.

• A dependent variable is the measured outcome.

• A quasi-independent variable represents a naturally occurring or preexisting group difference.

• A population is the entire group of interest.

• A sample is a subset of the population.

• Descriptive statistics summarize collected data.

• Inferential statistics use sample information to make conclusions about a broader population.

• A frequency distribution shows how often values or categories occur.

• Percentages express the relative size of categories.

• JASP can be used to organize, analyze, and visualize quantitative data.

Frequently Asked Questions About PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1

What is PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 about?

PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 focuses on foundational research and statistics concepts. Topics include variables, samples and populations, frequency distributions, percentages, descriptive and inferential statistics, and graphical representations. The assessment also introduces students to JASP for organizing and visualizing data.

What is the difference between an independent and dependent variable?

An independent variable is the factor that researchers manipulate or use to compare groups, while a dependent variable is the outcome they measure. For example, in a study examining test format and student performance, test format is the independent variable and test performance is the dependent variable.

What is a quasi-independent variable?

A quasi-independent variable is a naturally occurring characteristic or preexisting group difference that researchers generally cannot manipulate or randomly assign. Political affiliation, cultural background, and previous experience are examples.

What is the difference between a population and a sample?

A population includes the complete group a researcher wants to understand. A sample is a smaller group selected from that population. Researchers often collect data from samples because studying every member of a population may not be practical.

What are descriptive statistics?

Descriptive statistics summarize and organize collected data. Common examples include frequencies, percentages, means, medians, standard deviations, tables, and graphs.

What are inferential statistics?

Inferential statistics use information from a sample to make estimates, predictions, or conclusions about a larger population. Common inferential methods include hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, correlation, and regression.

What is a frequency distribution?

A frequency distribution organizes observations according to how frequently each value or category occurs. Frequency distributions make it easier to identify patterns and summarize large datasets.

What is JASP used for?

JASP is statistical software that allows students and researchers to organize, analyze, and visualize data. It can produce descriptive statistics, frequency tables, graphs, and other statistical analyses through a user-friendly interface.

What is the difference between grouped and ungrouped data?

Grouped data combine observations into categories, intervals, or groups. Ungrouped data present individual observations separately without combining them into categories.

What is the difference between a bar graph and a pie chart?

A bar graph uses separate bars to compare values or frequencies across categories. A pie chart divides a circle into sections to show how categories contribute to the whole.

Why are graphical representations important in statistics?

Graphs make numerical information easier to interpret by showing patterns, differences, frequencies, and distributions visually. They can help researchers communicate statistical findings more clearly.

How do you calculate the number of participants represented by a percentage?

Multiply the percentage, converted to a decimal, by the total sample size. For example, if 58% of 1,280 participants selected a response, the calculation is 0.58 × 1,280 = 742.4, or approximately 742 participants.

References

Gallup. (n.d.). Guns. https://news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx

JASP Team. (n.d.). JASP: A fresh way to do statistics. https://jasp-stats.org/

OpenStax. (2020). Introductory statistics 2e. Rice University. https://openstax.org/details/books/introductory-statistics-2e

PSYC FPX 4700 Assessment 1 Basics of Research and Statistics Frequency Distributions Percentiles and Graphical Representations

Szklarska, A., Kozieł, S., Bielicki, T., & Malina, R. M. (2007). Influence of height on educational attainment in young Polish men. Annals of Human Biology, 34(3), 311–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460701300750